Rooms for Red Cross | Video

Jason Dumas | 3/6/2013

North Dakota families that become victims of a disaster won`t have to worry about where they`ll spend the night. Rooms for the Red Cross will provide temporary housing at hotels for people who find themselves homeless as a result of a fire, flood or other natural disaster.

Ten hotels in Bismarck and Dickinson are donating over 75 rooms for 2013. In addition to those affected by a disaster, military personnel are also eligible for the emergency assistance.

The Candlewood Suites is one of the hotels that have partnered with the Red Cross. Their rooms offer kitchenettes to make the temporary accommodations feel more like home.

"The rooms are all donated to the red cross. We got 78 rooms that were donated this year and those are things that we don`t have to pay for. We use donations for those, the hotel covers that expense for us," said West Dakota Executive Director Jessica Gilbertson.

Last year, Red Cross volunteers responded to over 160 disaster calls in the region and housed 35 families with an average stay of three nights. The Red Cross has is also partnering with US Bank. The bank has committed to $250,000 a year to help with the cause.

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